The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-02-17
AMERICANS ABROAD.
A Newspaper Correspondents Almost In
credible Adventure in Scotland.

| Newspaper Correspondents Almost In
credible Adventure in Scotland.
After a nice luncheon at the Abbey
Gate Hotel, Melrose, my friend and l.,
having returned from the ruins, stood
talking near the hotel door when two
young fellows, well dressed and well
enough looking, came up and accosted
us. They asked us if we were Amer
leans. Yes, we We're. They thought
so-had seen our names on the hotel
register.
Were we going to Abbottsford?
We had just been speaking of it.
Yes, we were going.
"Well, we are Americans also," re-
piled the taller of the two young fell
lows, "and, as the carriages over there, !"
pointing to them, ''carry four we
thought we'd propose-Jim and me
to ask if you and your friend" :" address
ing me as the elder, '.will mind taking
two of the seats, and you see, Jim and
me-won't we, Jimmie?-will take the
other two. It'll save the odd change
for both parties, you see.''
After going over and looking at the
vehicle, drawn by one big strapping
horse, which had evidently been at
Abbottsford before, because his canny
Scot of driver told us all about it, we
agreed to make the trip with the tall
young man and his companion, James.
They surprised us very much by ask
ing me just as we settled ourselves into
the seats, ''who this Mr.. Scott was who
used to live at this place they call
Abbottsford?' By Jove! l was so taken
back that l looked the tall young fellow
full in the eyes, thinking that he was
attempting to play the quiz game on
me. Not bit of it. He was just as
honest as that Scotch horse trotting
along in front of us. 1t seemed that he
was aware that the former owner of
world-famous Abbottsford had been a
man eminent for something, but he had
not the remotest idea what it was. I
felt provoked to see the staid
young Scotchman turn around and grin
at me as my friend and / faced the
front. So I told the American
tourists all that Sir Walter had done,
and then he wanted to know if he could
get his poems or "story'' books in Edin-
burgh, so as to take them back home
with him to Illinois. Actual fact, I
assure you. He was assured that the
works of Scott could be bought at any
bookstore in the United States-or,
"the States, as people say over there
but he seemed to have dark doubts as
to the genuineness of the article if not
purchased in Scotland in the original
package. 1t appeared by further talk.
that he and his chum Jim had been sent
over by the old folks to buy stock, and
were on their way to France to look at
some Norman stations, to be bargained
for and shipped to Illinois. How they
came to get into the land of Scots
have forgotten. We had noticed them
at the abbey ruins, going up to get a
guide book. The tall one told me that
he always made it point to buy the
guide book at all places they visited,
but he never read them on the spot.
Whats did he do with them? o, bless you!
he packed them all carefully away in his
valise, and when he returned to his
native village he was to get them out
and then and there read them all over
at his leisure.
What a truly remarkable young man
that remarkable young man from Hli-
nois was. And, oh! the questions that
he asked of the guide who took us
through the halls and rooms of Alb
bottsford. If those two fellows travelled
all about Scotland and England, and
the people who come in contact with
them never had chanced to meet any
osher Americans, just fancy what an
opinion they must have formed of us.
And to think that there are so many of
our countrymen, well educated, culti-
waited young men, too, who can never
get to Europe on account of their lack
of means, while just such chumps as
these 60 over and air their ignorance to
disgrace us.-Cor. Cincinnati CONNER.
ciaI.